Heatwave Monitoring Solutions
A wide range of solutions are available to solve the measurement requirement, ranging from simple manual systems to very sophisticated automated systems.
In order to conform with the Heatwave plan only a simple manual system need be implemented when a code RED has been declared.
You may wish to implement a more sophisticated temperature monitoring and alerting system as a part of your facilities management plan. The efficient use of power in your air conditioning and central heating is very much on the agenda at the moment and the two systems could be linked.
Manual Temperature Monitoring Solutions
The measurement and recording requirement, according to the Heatwave Plan, is that the temperature should be measured and recorded four times per day whilst a code RED is in effect.
The simplest solution would be to equip a person designated as the data collector with a handheld digital thermometer with an air thermometer and a clip board to record the temperatures.
It is worth bearing in mind when purchasing the temperature probe how long the response time is. The response time specifies how long the probe takes to adjust to the ambient temperature in the room. A long response time could have one of two results:
- Inaccurate temperature readings because the data collector did not wait for the probe to adjust properly to the room temperature; or
- Wasted time as the temperature probe adjusts to the ambient temperature.
One solution that would avoid the sensitivity problem would be to place the thermometer in the room being measured for the duration of the code RED alert.
A wall mounted analogue thermometer would be at the ambient room temperature and would display the value. The data recorder would then simply have to read the temperature from the display and record the value in an appropriate way.
More sophisticated wall mounted thermometers are available that not only have a visual readout of the current temperature but can produce a paper based log. The data recorder would then only need to retrieve the paper log from the thermometer periodically, say once per day, and store the log for auditing purposes.
A paper based log would reduce the time burden on the data collector significantly.
There are a number of problems with manually recording the temperature:
- Data collection is unlikely to be a full time job, so it may well be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of other duties;
- During a heat wave temperatures may rise quickly between temperature measurements leaving vulnerable patients potentially at the mercy of high temperatures. Precisely the situation that the Heatwave Plan is intended to remedy;
- Rooms on different elevations may heat and cool at substantially different rates. Measuring the temperature in one room doesn’t necessarily give an indication of temperatures in another room. Southern facing rooms are likely to heat up faster than northerly facing ones especially when the windows are not shaded or don’t have reflective glass;
- People generate heat whether they are active or not. Rooms that have a number of people within them warm faster than unoccupied rooms especially when some of the occupants are busy working. A typical occupant would generate 400 British Thermal Units (BTU) of heat.
Automated Temperature Monitoring Solutions
One way to overcome the problems with manual temperature monitoring is to automate it. Automated systems don’t forget to record the temperature and they operate twenty four hours per day.
The downside is that they tend to cost more than manual systems. Though you may be pleasantly surprised at how little they do cost.
Any automated system must have the capability to alert appropriate staff to any breach in temperature of the 26ºC threshold.
The simplest automated systems available are data loggers. Most data loggers do not have an adequate alerting system built in but some of the more specialist units are able to make telephone calls when the temperature goes outside acceptable bounds.
The main limitation of a data logger is that a data logger needs to be placed into each room requiring temperature logging.
Whilst data loggers are not particularly expensive finding a phone socket for the phone dialler in each room may be a problem.
In addition, managing a number of data loggers spread around your campus may well prove to be time consuming. A data logger will log the temperature readings in each room. Unfortunately, the log is stored inside the data logger itself and would need to be retrieved from the data logger via a PC if you need to maintain a comprehensive temperature log.
So, a data logger based solution wouldn’t be completely automated.
One step up from a data logger would be a network based environmental monitoring system.
The environmental monitoring system would enable the collection and alarming to be performed from a single central system.
Each room in the hospital that must be monitored would require a temperature probe. The temperature probe could use the structured cabling running throughout your building.
A single unit then periodically records the temperature readings and alarms via email/SMS or strobe light when the temperature threshold is breached.
One major plus for automated systems is that not only can they monitor the room temperature but the more capable systems can also monitor the systems designed to regulate room temperature like your air conditioning and heating systems.
A failure of your air conditioning system in a cool room is likely to lead to rapid heat gain especially if it is on a southerly elevation. Automated systems, like the AKCP product line, can monitor the dry contact on the air conditioner and alert you to any failures.
You could also expect your environmental monitoring system to provide network mapping. Temperature mapping is a picture of your building with the real time temperature readings displayed in the location that the temperature logging is taking place.
Temperature mapping gives a great way to display any problems very quickly, especially when displayed on a large monitor so that the temperature information.
Temperature mapping gives an operation centre a great centre piece so that everybody can see precisely what the current state of play is.